This invention relates to a bait for cockroaches. More particularly, this invention relates to a bait for cockroaches containing a toxicant.
The cockroach is one of the oldest pests known to mankind. Efforts have been made continually over the years to effectively control roach populations in homes, warehouses, business establishments, etc. Control and eradication of the roach population is most difficult because of the feeding habits of cockroaches. Cockroaches generally are nocturnal creatures which explore primarily out of hunger. This exploration is influenced by temperature, humidity, and light among other factors. Roaches breed at a high rate and, accordingly, complete eradication of this noxious pest is most difficult. However, control has been achieved using various methods. Most of these prior art methods involve the use of residual insecticide sprays and/or the placing of various bait compositions.
Residual sprays, although effective for a reasonable length of time on many surfaces are not effective on certain surfaces. For instance, a spray which is quite effective on a sealed surface, such as stainless steel or ceramic tile, may not be effective when used on an unsealed surface, such as unpainted wood or unsealed tile.
Prior art baits, such as those using boric acid, arsenic, Baygon, and other toxicants, have also not been particularly effective since these baits are somewhat messy to use and do not offer a relatively high kill rate.
Effective studies have been done in the preparation of baits for cockroaches. Two articles disclose the incorporation of preformed Kepone (decachlorooctahydro-1,3,4-metheno-2H-cyclobuta [cd] pentalen-2-one) bait pellets in paraffin. These Kepone pellets are 0.125% Kepone impregnated in corn husks or grain. The Eversole article, page 1316 of THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY, Vol. 64, No. 5, does not disclose any particular ratio of bait pellets to paraffin, but it is apparent from the method described in this article that a high percentage of paraffin to bait is utilized. Likewise, an article in Vol. 66, No. 6, pages 1277-1278, in THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY, the baits were prepared having 1.2 parts of bait to 1 part paraffin. Lastly, a paper published by M. D. Miesch, Jr., in 1969 by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan, entitled "Ecological and Phisiological Mechanisms Influencing Food Finding in Blattaria" indicates on page 65 that dog chows may be good baits when compared to potato flakes which are a standard bait. It is clear from the disclosure in these articles that the paraffin is designed to protect the bait from the adverse effects of humidity and temperature found in the environment wherein the baits were to be placed, i.e., sewer lines.
It has, therefore, been found that a highly effective and attractive cockroach bait can be prepared by intimately mixing from about 20-54.75% by weight of a non-repellent binder, from about 79.75-45% by weight of dry dog food and maltose, brown sugar, or mixtures thereof, and from about 0.25-5% by weight 0-0-diethyl-0-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate. The above compositions are especially attractive to roaches and in fact are preferred by roaches over their normal daily diet. When formed into appropriate sized bait pellets and placed in an appropriate concentration, the use of the bait of the present invention effectively controls roaches for a reasonable length of time. Further, the use of the baits of the present invention controls the hatch of eggs providing further effective control.